Metta Forest Monastery Located in an avocado orchard on a hill surrounded by the mountains and chaparral of northern San Diego county, Metta Forest Monastery offers the opportunity for lay people to come and stay for individual retreats of long or short duration. It also offers the opportunity for men to ordain in the Theravada lineage and train in the practices of the Thai Forest Tradition.

BACKGROUND

RETREATS Practicalities

ORDINATION Monastic Life

CONTACT

BACKGROUND Metta was founded in 1990 by Phra Ajaan Suwat Suvaco, a student of Phra Ajaan Munn Bhuridatto. The current abbot --Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) -- grew up in rural New York and Virginia, and was later ordained as a monk in Thailand in 1976. He trained for ten years under Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, a member of the Forest Tradition, until the latter's death in 1986. After returning to the States to help set up Metta in 1991, he was made abbot of the monastery in 1993 and was formally made a preceptor in 1995. The Thai Forest Tradition was founded in the late 19th century by Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasilo and Phra Ajaan Munn Bhuridatto. This tradition is known for its strict adherence to the Vinaya (the monastic discipline), its ascetic life style, and its strong emphasis on full-time meditation practice. Although it has developed a large following in Thailand, its direct, uncompromising ethos sets it apart from many of the typical values of Thai society. This fact makes it an ideal tradition to transplant to America, both because that ethos focuses directly on the major issues of life, death, and the liberation of the mind, with a minimum of cultural trappings; and also because it serves as a reminder that we should not be in too great a hurry to Americanize Buddhism, inasmuch as the true practice of Buddhism stands apart from the dominant values of lay society no matter where it is found. For more background on the Forest lineage, see the article, "The Customs of the Noble Ones," at http://world.std.com/~metta/.)   RETREATS Although Metta is primarily a monastery, part of the hill is set aside for lay visitors who want to come on individual retreats and follow our daily schedule. The schedule begins well before dawn, as the monks rise early and meditate individually. A morning chanting service begins at 5:30, followed by a one-hour group meditation session, with instructions or a short reading. After the session, lay visitors help prepare the meal while the monks sweep the monastery and prepare for their alms round at 8:30. Because there is no village of Buddhists in the nearby area, we have developed a small village on the monastery grounds: the guest house and the area for lay meditators. The monks go for their alms to the guest house and return to the meditation hall at the top of the hill to eat their meal, as the lay visitors do their morning chants. After the monks have their meal, the lay visitors have theirs, help with the kitchen clean-up, and then are free to meditate until late afternoon. Then, after a short meeting for questions and answers about the practice, everyone joins in the evening chores. Shortly after sundown, the entire community meets for evening chants and a one-hour group meditation session, again with instructions or a reading. After the session, there is time again for questions, and everyone then returns to his or her private place in the orchard to meditate individually. We also offer group retreats on occasional weekends from May through October, during which we add an extra group meditation session -- held in our "outdoor hall" under the trees on the west edge of the orchard -- during mid-afternoon. Please contact the monastery for details. Meditation instruction follows the style of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, a member of the Thai Forest Tradition. The Website called "Access to Insight," has downloadable files of teachings by Ajaan Lee and other members of the Forest Tradition. The address is: http://world.std.com/~metta/ Practicalities Please write to the monastery before coming for an overnight visit. First-time retreat visitors are allowed to stay for two weeks at most. Visitors staying a week or less are asked to observe the first five of the eight precepts; those staying longer are asked to observe all eight. All are expected to participate fully in the daily schedule of the monastery. We don't charge for room or board, as all our activities are funded by donations. Our accommodations are very simple: a guest house with three dormitory-style rooms, and platforms where tents may be pitched under the trees in our orchard. We recommend that visitors bring a flashlight, an alarm clock or watch, a tent (if you have one), a sleeping bag, and loose-fitting clothing (no shorts). Summers tend to be hot and dry, winters cold and rainy. We ask all our visitors to be sensitive to the differing cultures that meet here -- Thai, Laotian, and American -- and to be supportive of the rules that the monks follow.   ORDINATION Candidates for monkhood are required to live for a year at the monastery, observing the eight precepts, in order to acquaint them with the monks' life. During this time they follow the general group schedule (see above), but they must also take more responsibility for the daily chores: working in the kitchen, helping in the orchard, running errands in town. At the end of the year, if they receive the abbot's consent, they are eligible for ordination. A new monk is expected to stay at Metta or at affiliated monasteries in Thailand for at least five years, receiving training in all aspects of the monk's life, before he is allowed to go off on his own. New monks take on no teaching duties until the preceptor feels that they are ready. The monks adhere strictly to the Vinaya and to some of the dhutanga (ascetic) practices, such as eating only one meal a day. Occasionally they must take on major chores involved with the physical upkeep of the buildings, although we try to keep this to a minimum. We also try to arrange a camping/meditation trip to the wilds of the Colorado Plateau at least once a year to keep in touch with the roots of our "Forest Tradition." Monastic Life Theravada monasticism is among the smallest and least appreciated aspects of Buddhism now coming to America, largely because it is so widely misunderstood. Celibate monastic life offers a pattern of freedoms and limitations -- quite different from those of lay life -- that the Buddha established expressly to help with the training of the mind. There is a common misperception that the rules of the Vinaya simply follow the prejudices of Indians in the Buddha's time and are irrelevant to our own more enlightened mores. However, a careful reading of the rules shows that many of them differ markedly from the rules of other monastic groups in ancient India, and that they find their ultimate justification in the principles of the Dhamma itself. Perhaps the most radical difference between lay and monastic life is that, on entering the monastic Sangha, one leaves the lay economy of money and trade, and enters an economy of gifts. Monks are not allowed to buy, sell, or even barter goods with lay people. Lay supporters provide gifts of material requisites for the monks, while the monks provide their supporters with the gift of the teaching. Because these gifts are voluntary, they create a warm and cheerful atmosphere in which to practice. At the same time, this economy teaches many important lessons for the heart. Monastics have no control over the requisites of their life, a fact that forces them to learn many valuable lessons in patience, endurance, and the acceptance of the workings of karma. When they reflect that everything they use is the fruit of other people's generosity, it reminds them that the quality of their practice is not simply their own concern, but that of the entire community of supporters. This spurs them on to even greater efforts in the practice. Having benefited from the generosity of others, they find it natural to share the fruits of their practice with others free of charge when the opportunity or the need arises.   CONTACT For more information write the monastery at: Metta Forest Monastery PO Box 1409 Valley Center, CA 92082 Or call: (916) 813-8461 (NEW NUMBER - 2007) This is a cellular phone that we normally turn on from 5-6 p.m. PST (6-7 p.m. PDT). At other times, a machine takes messages. Website maintained by contact-greg@here-and-now.org

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